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<br />GUIDE TO FLpOD INSURANCE RATE MAPS 3 <br /> <br />year. This flood, which is referred to as <br />the lOO'year flood (or base flood), is the <br />national standard on which the <br />floodplain management and insurance <br />requirements of the NFIP are based. <br /> <br />Within the SFHAs identified by detailed <br />analyses, the FIRM shows base flood <br />elevations (BFEs) and flood insurance risk <br />zones, In addition to SFHAs, the FIRM <br />shows areas subject to inundation during <br />the 500,year flood and may show areas <br />designated as a regulatory floodway. The <br />regulatory floodway is the channel of a <br />stream plus any adjacent floodplain areas <br />that must be kept free of encroachment <br />so that the lOO,year flood discharge can <br />be conveyed without increasing the BFE <br />more than a specified amount. Within <br />the SFHAs identified by approximate <br />analyses, the FIRM shows only the flood <br />insurance zone designation. <br /> <br />The results of the FIS are also presented <br />in an FIS report. This report is a <br />technical document that provides <br />information used mainly by community <br />officials for floodplain management. The <br />FIS report can be reviewed at community <br />planning, zoning, or engineering offices. <br /> <br />FEMA publishes the FIRM and <br />distributes it to a wide range of users. <br />Private citizens, community officials, <br />insurance agents and brokers, lending <br />institutions, and Federal agencies use the <br />FIRM to determine the degree of flood <br />hazard in specific areas of the <br />community so that actuarial premium <br />rates can be assigned and full insurance <br />coverage obtained for properties at risk, <br /> <br />The FIRM provides information that <br />allows the map user to- <br />. identify Special Flood Hazard Areas <br />subject to flooding, <br /> <br />. identify the location of a specific <br />property, <br /> <br />· estimate the BFE at a specific site, <br /> <br />. determine the flood insurance zone at <br />a specific site, and <br /> <br />. determine the location of the <br />regulatory f100dway (where shown). <br /> <br />Insurance agents and brokers use the <br />FIRM to determine the locations of <br />properties and the corresponding <br />insurance zones, which determine <br />actuarial flood insurance premium rates. <br /> <br />Lending institutions and Federal <br />agencies, when they make loans or <br />provide grants for the acquisition or <br />construction of buildings, use the FIRM <br />to determine the locations of properties <br />and whether flood insurance is required, <br /> <br />Community officials use the FIRM to <br />administer floodplain management <br />regulations. ' <br /> <br />This guide will help you identify and <br />understand key features of a FIRM. It <br />contains illustrations and a step,by,step <br />example of how to use a FIRM. <br />